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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have launched a joint investigation into the alleged diversion and mismanagement of funds provided under US Government-supported programmes in Nigeria.
The two agencies reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation, intelligence sharing and operational coordination in investigating alleged financial irregularities involving organisations that received funding under the programmes.
The development followed a meeting on Thursday when Marcus Maccain, Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché of the FBI, led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Acting Zonal Director of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo.
Speaking during the meeting, Maccain said the visit aimed to strengthen existing cooperation in investigating alleged financial irregularities involving organisations that received funds under programmes supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), particularly those relating to HIV and tuberculosis interventions.
He said the engagement became necessary following the shutdown of some USAID programmes by the US Government in 2025.
According to him, the development raised concerns about how funds remaining with some implementing organisations were managed after the programmes were discontinued.
He said some organisations were suspected of mismanaging or allegedly diverting funds provided to them before the programmes were terminated.
“We are seeking stronger engagement with the EFCC to establish how the funds were managed and identify possible financial misconduct arising from the termination of the programmes,” Maccain said.
US raises concerns over programme funds
Also speaking, Jeremy Kennon, Special Agent with the Office of Inspector General, Department of State, said the United States and Nigerian governments had previously agreed to support the fight against HIV and tuberculosis.
He said the United States Department of State and the Nigerian Government provided funding to organisations implementing the programmes.
Kennon said some of the organisations established one-stop centres for HIV treatment.
However, he said subsequent reviews had raised concerns about inflated budgets and other financial irregularities in Kano State and several other states.
He stressed that the concerns were not limited to Kano or Nigeria, adding that similar issues had been identified elsewhere in the world.
According to Kennon, the FBI wanted to establish a long-term working relationship with the EFCC on the matter, including reciprocal information sharing.
“We’ll like to work with the EFCC on this on a long-term basis, and we’ll be sharing information with you; not just getting information from you,” he said.
EFCC begins financial tracing
Responding, Kaltungo welcomed the delegation on behalf of EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede and described the relationship between Nigeria and the United States as longstanding, particularly in law enforcement cooperation.
He assured the delegation that the EFCC would investigate allegations of diversion or mismanagement of USAID funds across Nigeria and trace the funds to their ultimate beneficiaries.
According to Kaltungo, tracing the funds and identifying the beneficiaries would enable investigators to determine how the money was spent, whether it was deployed for the purposes for which it was provided and whether any portion was mismanaged or diverted after the cancellation of the programmes.
He said the investigation would be coordinated and cover all states where the affected organisations and programmes operated.
Kaltungo added that the EFCC would work with the FBI to follow the financial trail and establish the facts surrounding the alleged diversion of the funds.
The investigation is ongoing.
